The President and Governor have been at each other’s throats for years. Now it has all come to a head.
And Joe Biden just issued a scathing threat to Greg Abbott.
The Biden administration has threatened to sue Texas over a new state law that makes unauthorized entry into the state a crime, giving state officials the authority to take actions to secure the border in the midst of the ongoing illegal immigration issue.
The Justice Department accused Texas of interfering with the federal government by moving to enforce immigration law in a letter addressed to Republican Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday.
Texas Republicans have stated that the bill is necessary because illegal border crossings have increased and deportations have slowed under President Joe Biden.
According to DOJ official Brian M. Boynton, “the Department of Justice intends to bring a lawsuit to enforce the supremacy of federal law and to enjoin the operation of SB 4.”
He went on to say that “the United States will pursue all appropriate legal remedies to ensure that Texas does not interfere with the functions of the federal government.”
Boynton stated that Texas had until next Wednesday to indicate whether or not the statute would be enforced.
The bill, which would make illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border a state misdemeanor, was first sent to Abbott by Texas Republicans in November.
The measure, which Abbott adopted earlier this month, will allow Texas to deport people who cross into the state back to Mexico, posing a direct challenge to the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policy.
In the letter, the DOJ told Abbott that only the federal government should be permitted to deport foreign nationals who have entered the United States.
“Indeed, the Supreme Court has confirmed that ‘the removal process’ must be ‘entrusted to the discretion of the Federal Government’ because a ‘decision on removability’ touches ‘on foreign relations and must be made with one voice,’” the letter said.
Texas, according to Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze, is prepared to take legal action.
“Texas is prepared to take this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect Texans and Americans from President Biden’s open border policies. President Biden’s deliberate and dangerous inaction at our southern border has left Texas to fend for itself,” she said.
The Texas law is also being challenged by liberal legal organizations, who say that it is discriminatory.
At the same time, illegal border crossings reached a new high in November, with no indications of slowing down in December.
Biden previously sued Texas over Abbott’s decision to build water barriers along the Rio Grande to stop illegal immigration.
And earlier in 2023, the Biden administration ordered Border Patrol to tear down razor wire meant to prevent illegal immigration.
Texas installed razor wire in Eagle Pass to stop illegal crossings.
Today the Biden Admin CUT that wire, opening the floodgates to illegal immigrants.
I immediately deployed more Texas National Guard to repel illegal crossings & install more razor wire. pic.twitter.com/eMtLS8Z6WI
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 20, 2023
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
